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My Visit to San Miguel de Allende

April 17, 2022 By Carol McIntyre

My visit to San Miguel de Allende, Mexico, in March, brought me intense colors, wonderful food, old cobblestone streets, fascinating murals, rooftop restaurants at sunset, ancient cobble stone streets and much more.

International travel is one of my favorite ways to experience our world and open my eyes to new perspectives, cultures and life styles. In addition, it challenged me physically because San Miguel de Allende (SMA) is built on a hill and there is rarely a flat area larger than a block. Stairs are everywhere and the old streets and sidewalks require vigilance to avoid tripping. Despite this, I walked for miles. I can’t remember when I last walked 2-5 miles a day for 8 days (thanks to my Fitbit I know)!

visit to san miguel de allende

Why SMA? It was an art workshop that enticed me to Mexico. Last fall I had decided that I wanted to improve my ability to convey drama and to be more consistent with impactful compositions. When a workshop taught by an abstract painter entitled “Contrast and Composition,” crossed my email, I decided to sign up. I was also ready to travel after a long dry spell. [Read more…]

Filed Under: Art Travels & Preparations, Inner Artistic Journeys Tagged With: an artist's musings, Carol A. McIntyre, Colorado artist

Thieves Among Geniuses – Miro and Gaudi

October 14, 2019 By Carol McIntyre

Have you ever had a life experience that includes the good, bad and the ugly all within days, if not hours? I wasn’t going to write about Bob’s (husband) and my vacation to Barcelona, but the impact has been far greater than I could have predicted and it is also art related.

miro and gaudi

It is called the Miro Foundation, because it is an educational institution as well as an exhibition space. It is the only museum specifically designed for one artist.

A month ago, on a sparkling sunny morning, I drove our rental car down from the Pyrynees Mountains of Spain into a western suburb of Barcelona. I parked on a main road directly in front of the Joan Miro Foundation, locked the car with our luggage and went in to experience the profound artistic life of the renowned Spanish artist Joan Miro (1893-1983).

Before entering, I confessed I knew only a cursory amount about Miro’s artistic influence. Within minutes, my mind was markedly expanded. Britannica describes Miro as: a Catalan painter who combined abstract art with Surrealist fantasy. His mature style evolved from the tension between his fanciful, poetic impulse and his vision of the harshness of modern life. He worked extensively in lithography and produced numerous murals, tapestries, and sculptures for public spaces. These sculptures below show his whimsical side. I loved wandering the exhibitions spaces and experiencing his genius and diversity.

miro and gaudi

He was a breaker of artistic rules as he constantly pushed the boundaries of painting and sculpture. In fact, he created what he called, “anti-paintings.” Below is an example. We watched a video of him painting and then burning his canvas with a torch from the back. He then painting more on the front. This quickly demonstrated how he did not treat his work as ‘precious,’ which is something so many of us do. I also saw a sense of fearlessness that I have not witnessed before, which was good for me to see.

miro and gaudi

We left the museum moved by how Miro’s art impacted the world. Because I was embarrassed that I had not studied him or his work, I was inspired and looking forward to journaling about what I had learned and reflecting on my own artistic journey through my visit with Miro.

Upon arriving back at our car, our world was rudely turned upside down and inside out. The lights for unlocking the car did not blink and I immediately knew something was wrong. Our car vent window had been smashed and all of our luggage and a computer bag were gone. It was gut wrenching. Oddly, we had read several articles about the rampant stealing and pick pockets in Barcelona and had taken several steps to protect ourselves, but this was completely unexpected. Even the Spanish were shocked to hear about the significance of this theft.

miro and gaudi

The vacation that we had been planning for months with high expectations, came to an abrupt halt. Plans of celebrating our 34th wedding anniversary further up the Spanish coast and then over into southern France to spend time with friends was over. We felt stripped and violated.

miro and gaudi

With nothing but the waist pouches and clothes on our backs, we then spent about 3.5 hours in the Barcelona Police Station. I will not bore you with the crazy details of that experience. It was 7pm on a Saturday evening when we arrived at our hotel in the heart of the tourist area. What to do next? Where do we purchase something to sleep in, a toothbrush, other clothes, prescription drugs, etc??!!

Then we had to decide if we should try to continue on our trip or not. Given several circumstances, it was best to return home. We were emotionally devastated. The next few days were spent obtaining new passports, returning a damaged car, purchasing necessary items, figuring out new airline schedules, and trying to recover from the trauma of the event. In retrospect, both of us were in a state of shock for several days.

Fortunately, I proclaimed, “I will never return to Barcelona, but I will not leave without seeing some of Antoni Gaudi’s (1852-1926) work.” Oh my! We were in for another profound eye opener. I knew that his influence was evident throughout Spain, in particular Barcelona, but I was not aware of its significance. Because of the theft, we were not able to take advantage of tickets we had purchased in before leaving the US. However, we did walk by the Casa Batllo. What a fun and funky apartment. He was a genius way ahead of his time much like Da Vinci. I encourage you to learn more about Gaudi.

We then went to his magical and magnificent La Sagrada Familia!! On another beautiful day, we approached this basilica in awe.

It encompasses an entire city block. Hence, photos do not begin to give it justice. Nearly every architectural decision Gaudi made was symbolic and mathematically calculated. The Spanish began constructing this world wonder in 1882 and intend to have it completed by 2026, which will be miraculous if they do.

miro and gaudi

Below, the stained glass windows create the gradation of green to orange via the afternoon sunlight. It was something to behold. The Sagrada Familia is a sacred place. I could feel its beauty and spirituality.  We are grateful for having experienced it as words cannot describe it adequately.

miro and gaudi

We arrived home with mixed feelings. We were safe and yet we had to begin putting our lives back together again and dealing with insurance paperwork, replacing items, etc. I experienced days of depression and minor anxiety attacks as well a moments of anger. Finally, I asked a good friend to tell me to “Go and paint!” I wasn’t really motivated, but I know that painting grounds me and often takes me out of negative spaces.

Here is one of the paintings I created. I had no expectations. I just started applying layers of paint while tapping into my emotions. Given my story, what is your interpretation of it?

miro and gaudi

Painting did help get me back on track again. Processing inspiring artists such as Miro and Gaudi, while trying to navigate this trauma will take more time…..and painting. Writing this post is also cathartic. Thank you for coming along.

What do you do when life throws you a curve ball? Does creativity play a role?

How do you process seeing artwork that moves you to tears and intellectually challenges you?

Please consider forwarding this post to others who may be interested using the buttons below.

Colorfully and gratefully yours,

Carol

PS I noticed that Miro and Gaudi used color differently. It will be interesting to study this further.

 

miro and gaudi

Filed Under: Art Travels & Preparations, Inner Artistic Journeys Tagged With: abstract artwork, an artist's musings

Guess Who I Spent Last Week With?

June 19, 2018 By Carol McIntyre

Last week I attended the Munsell Centennial Symposium with over 180 people from 27 countries representing color disciplines across science, industry and art. We gathered in Boston under the umbrella of the ISCC (Inter-Society Color Council) and AIC (International Colour Association) organizations with the intent of bridging our passions, knowledge and experiences in the field of color. It was an inspiring week of lectures, workshops and conversations, all the while meeting delightful and dedicated people. albert munsell, josef albers, color theory, color mixing

I never knew so many professions existed solely for the purpose of better understanding and using color! I found myself feeling a bit like a kid in a candy store.

The centennial celebration was in recognition of Albert Munsell’s (1858-1918) significant contributions to our world of color. Though he was not alone in the pursuit of creating order out of the chaos of color back in the early 1900’s, he developed a color system that is widely used today. He is responsible for the Munsell Color Tree that visually displays, hue, value and chroma. This is refernced in my recent blog, What are the Three Characteristics of Every Color?

I met color consultants, authors, color scientists and researchers, historians, professors, artists, librarians and a visual neurologist who are committed to spreading the word about color. We were housed in the Massachusetts School of Art & Design. It was fascinating to learn that my suite mate is a color technician working for PPG (Pittsburgh Paints Group), whose sole focus is on the color mixtures in the paints and coatings for anything on wheels. Two of her top customers are Polaris and Harley Davidson. Could I use any of her shiny motorcycle paints in my paintings?

Why did I attend? I wanted to see where my forthcoming book I Just Want to Paint! fit in the larger scheme of things. Did it have a place? What information might I learn to add or delete from it? I was pleasantly surprised to learn that my content does not need to be altered for my readers, and that it will continue to hold its unique niche in the color mixing arena. This validation is comforting and motivating.

Color literacy was a topic that was often discussed. Hmmm,  I had never thought of that as being a challenge. However, I soon learned that it is a problem across disciplines and cultures. I was also introduced to new vocabulary, such as: color space, color notations, perceptual aspects of color ordering, and colorimetry. By the way, do you know what a colorimeter is or a spectrophotometer? And that many industries – textiles, automotive, plastics, paints, decorators, forensic scientists, soil scientists, etc. – rely on the ability to measure color to create their products and services? Wow, my world has been expanded!

Some color gems I learned:

  • Johannes Itten was the first to promote the three primary system of yellow, blue and red.
  • The phrase ‘color theory’ first appeared in 1840. It could have been called ‘color doctrine’ or ‘color teaching.’
  • Today, the phrase ‘color theory’ is not well liked across all disciplines because it is difficult to define and it does not attract people to want to learn more about color.
  • Joy Turner Luke, a 93-year old artist and teacher, talked about how she was instrumental in persuading paint manufacturers to adhere to safety standards for art materials. This was and is, for the protection of children and adults. In 1988, the ASTM D4236 Federal law was passed and began appearing on art material labels. Her book is “Munsell’s Vision for Teaching Artists,” which explains how she used the Munsell Color System to paint her paintings.
  • There are 3-primary, 4-primary and 5-primary color wheels.
  • Color memory can bias or influence color perception.
  • One professor explained – or rather attempted to explain – the differences between, brightness, lightness, colorfulness, saturation, chroma and brilliance. Supposedly this knowledge can impact one’s painting ability, but I got lost in the weeds of too many words. I would rather paint, lol!

And, there were several lectures that included slides like this one, which were intriguing but I did not fully understand their meaning. Some of color research being conducted today is interesting.albert munsell, josef albers, color theory, color mixing

In the two half-day workshops I attended, I was re-introduced to Josef Albers and his teachings of how color – hue, value and chroma – can be manipulated to create illusions. He instructed art students to explore the similarities and differences in color when influenced by a surrounding color. It’s human nature to look for differences. Below is an example I created during the workshop. I had to choose from 200+ paper samples to show how the same color can look quite different on two different backgrounds. I cut out these papers to solve the problem. What are the implications in painting? This phenomenon is called simultaneous contrast.

albert munsell, josef albers, color theory, color mixing

In the second workshop, two established painters explained and demonstrated their strategy for matching colors using the Munsell Color System. I was thrilled when they stated the uselessness of referring to hues as ‘warm’ and ‘cool’ when mixing color. I have written about this in my forthcoming book “I Just Want to Paint: Mixing the Colors You Want!” in Chapter Three: How to Identify the Color Bias of Primary Colors.

The most compelling talk, “What Art Can Tell Us About the Brain,” was presented by Dr. Margaret Livingstone, a visual neurologist and probably one of the most intelligent people I have ever encountered. Throughout my painting career, I have often heard or read the statement, “Values are more important than color.” Dr. Livingstone proved how we see whites, grays and blacks before we see color. As a result, values are have a greater impact on the viewer than color. I highly recommend watching her YouTube video; this video takes place in a different venue, but the content is the same. She uses paintings, in particular the Mona Lisa, to demonstrate her findings.

The conference ended on a special note for me. At the dorm curb, a fellow attendee spontaneously asked to join me in a taxi to the Boston airport. She is a color research scientist at the Rochester Institute of Technology (RIT). As we rode along, I told her that I was interested in exploring how a collaboration could potentially happen between a scientist and a studio artist. She then preceded to tell me about the research she has done on how humans look at paintings.

RIT have an eye tracking device that maps where novices versus trained professionals look at paintings of 5 different styles. What?!! I am fascinated. She even suggested that they may be able to do this with a few of my paintings. How cool would that be? Then I started to discuss how painters critique each other’s work, yet, I wonder, is that valuable given that novices look at paintings differently?

Needless to say, it was a memorable week. I will continue to process my experiences while looking forward to continuing to foster the relationships that began in Boston. I am very grateful that I was able to attend this special conference, because I see from a different lens.

Please share this blog using the social media buttons below.

Gratefully and colorfully yours,

Carol

PS You may be asking: How did I know about the symposium? I knew about it because the Munsell Foundation had discovered my blog a few years ago and had asked me to write two guest blog posts. I remained on their mailing list. Hence, I received the notification. Despite it being a financial stretch, I knew I had to attend. I am very glad that I did.

learn color theory, munsell, color mixing

 

Filed Under: Art Travels & Preparations, Color Giants & Their Impact Tagged With: artistic process, Color Mixing, Color Theory, Colorado artist

My Three Hours with Vincent Van Gogh

June 23, 2017 By Carol McIntyre

How often have you walked into a room or museum and been overwhelmed by the creativity of one person?

This past April I had the wonderous opportunity to spend nearly 3 hours in the Vincent Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam. It had been suggested that I go before we left for the Netherlands, but no one had raved about it. And I admit, when I first saw the building I was not enticed because the architecture didn’t convey Vincent Van Gogh — in my humble opinion.

vincent van gogh

 

Carrying this bit of indifference and perhaps lower expectations into the museum probably helped to set the stage for the swing of emotions and thoughts that surfaced once I stepped inside. Being surrounded by his genius was jaw dropping. I wish I could offer a photo of the interior. I was too in awe to think of taking one and then was told that photography was not allowed anyway.

Vincent Van Gogh and His Genius

Did you know that he painted 29 self-portraits? I would love to know where the motivation for this came from and what he gleaned by painting them. How many self-portraits have you painted? I confess, that I have never done one though I have an inkling that Van Gogh just might nudge me to do one.

Wouldn’t it be interesting to see all of his self-portraits in a single exhibition and in chronological order?

vincent van gogh

The contrast between his self-portrait as a painter above and the portrait “A Head of a Prostitute,” below is fascinating. The brush strokes are alive in both, yet very different. It is interesting to compare the use of intense colors in one, while using muted colors in another. Apparently, he energetically experimented with his tools and colors. Oh, how I would love to have a video of him applying paint and observing the sequence of layers. Wouldn’t you?

vincent van gogh

Walking around the museum was mind boggling and inspiring. I selfishly wanted everyone else to go away (hundreds of people go through this museum daily) so that I could just sit quietly and take it all in. I imagined meditating in the various rooms….meanwhile wishing to soak up some of his spirit, vision and talent.

He wrote over 850 letters, painted 74 paintings during the last 78 days of his life and who knows how many total paintings he created all the while not selling one of them in his life time.  And he only painted for 12 years, while battling emotional upheavals. Can you wrap your head around these accomplishments? I know I can’t.

We are fortunate that his brother Theo knew and believed in Vincent to the point that he financially supported him the best he could. (What does it say about Theo that he kept all of the letters?) Then I learned that it was Theo’s wife, Johanna van Gogh-Bonger who promoted Vincent’s work after both Vincent and Theo were deceased! (BTW, Theo died 6 months after Vincent’s death.) She was dedicated to establishing his recognition. In 1914, she published the letters between the two brothers. We have her to be grateful for the opportunity to know and enjoy Vincent Van Gogh’s work. A great woman was behind a great artist.

Vincent Van Gogh was a Student of Color

Because of his seemingly intuitive brush strokes, I sense that many painters believe that his use of color was also intuitive. I learned in a previous exhibition of his work, and it is was evident in the Van Gogh Museuem, that he was an ardent student of color. He was aware of how color impacted mood and vibrancy, and how it carried his visual message.

Notice the mood he conveys in this nearly monochromatic scene. It is very cool, yet he sparsely includes the warm oranges in the foreground, while having applied an under painting of cool (green) yellows in the far background. Complex, yet simple. This only comes from study and practice.

vincent van gogh

When you imagine sunflowers in a painting, don’t you immediately think the artist would paint the flowers with bright saturated yellows and oranges? Van Gogh did do this in other sunflower paintings, but in the one below, the saturated colors are in the vase and background behind the de-saturated sunflowers. What is your reaction to this painting? Would you consider using this strategy in your next floral painting?

vincent van gogh

 

This next painting “A Crab on its Back,” shows how he used the complementary colors of green and red. I also like it because there is such a variety of brush strokes from foreground to background. The energy these strokes give to the subject is also captivating.

Scroll back up the portrait of the your woman and compare how he used the same color scheme yet mixed the reads and greens and applied them quite differently.

vincent van gogh

Visiting the Vincent Van Gogh Museum was a surprise highlight of our time in the Netherlands. I left wanting more. Experiencing that kind of commitment is compelling, subsequently inspiring.  The short time I had will be treasured.

What exhibit or museum has inspired you?

Initially, my main motivation for going to the Netherlands was to experience the famous tulip gardens. They too were beyond comprehension…..the colors were glorious. For more on our trip to Amsterdam and Iceland, visit: Amsterdam vs Iceland – A Visual Contrast.

If you enjoyed this post, please share it. Thank you.

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Filed Under: Art Travels & Preparations, Color Giants & Their Impact Tagged With: an artist's musings, artistic process, Colorado artist

Amsterdam vs Iceland – A Visual Contrast

May 12, 2017 By Carol McIntyre

Most creatives love to travel to enhance our experiences of the world, seek inspiration and visit iconic museums. Recently, husband Bob and I embarked on a 12-day vacation to Amsterdam and Iceland. Before we left, I speculated we would experience a contrast in colors, but I did not know what other gems we would encounter.

For fun, I have created several photo collages to highlight this Amsterdam vs Iceland experience. They are two eye-catching countries. By the way, the weather was chilly – ranging from 42-52 degrees — rainy and cloudy for much of the trip, though you will see a few blue skies in my photos. The most spectacular weather day was while we were visiting the Kuekenhof Gardens where the tulips were on masterful display. It is actually an 80 acre park with over 7 million tulips!! I was thrilled because this was the main reason I wanted to take this vacation. The tulip gardens had been on my bucket list for years.
For starters, these two photos below show you my view from the airplane while landing in Amsterdam (left photo) and then landing in Iceland (right photo). Iceland’s overall landscape feels like an inhabited moonscape that holds some fascinating natural wonders.
amsterdam vs iceland
Amsterdam is noted for its canals and boat houses, whereas Iceland is famous for its waterfalls and rainbows. Unfortunately we did not see any of the latter. The wind was blowing so hard that day at the falls, I could barely hold the camera. It is a spectacular waterfalls – very Niagara Falls like.
amsterdam vs iceland
Tulips were in abundance in and outside of the famous gardens as seen on the left. We spent 3.5 hours there and still did not walk the entire park.  The Icelandic alphabet is bursting with 32 characters. I thought you might like to try pronouncing these two Icelandic town names. Do you think texting might be a challenge in Iceland? amsterdam vs iceland
Visiting the inspiring Van Gogh and Rijks Museums was another real highlight. Here I am up close and personal with Rembrandt’s “The Night Watch.” I stood there in awe as I tried to imagine painting this in 1642 and at the size of 12 x 14 ft! Meanwhile, I saw this curious looking waterfall along an Iceland road. It shimmered like metallic copper. This rock is called jasper.
amsterdam vs iceland
The fields of tulips were alive, whereas in Iceland the moss covered lava rock with the occasional mountain were a very frequent sight as we drove the countryside. Many of the mountains would jut straight up from the ground in muffin like shapes.
amsterdam vs iceland
King’s Day is celebrated every April 27th in the Netherlands (technically Holland is a province of the Netherlands). It is an excuse to wear orange, party all day and hail to the King. Many revelers were in boats on the canals. It was great fun.  In Iceland, we were excited to see the geyser show itself. Geothermal energy heats much of the country. We visited the self-sustaining energy plant (there is no waste), which was enlightening.
amsterdam vs iceland
Taxi drivers and tour guides told us that there are more bikes in Amsterdam than there are people. I believe I heard them say there are over 1.2 million bicycles. One does need to be careful when crossing the street because they can be hazardous to your health. In contrast, Iceland, it seems, is covered with green moss. Is there an abstract painting in there somewhere? amsterdam vs iceland
The Netherlands have their windmills and Iceland has the Blue Lagoon Geothermal Spa. It is actually this color of blue and those are black lava rocks. Thousands of people enjoy this hot spring every year. I can only imagine what it would be like late on a summer evening.
amsterdam vs iceland
In the city of Reykjavik, Iceland’s capital, many two story murals can be found while walking the streets.
amsterdam vs iceland
As you can well imagine, I took many photos of tulips within the gardens. Here are a few of my close-up favorites.
amsterdam vs iceland
And no vacation would be complete without live music. It is difficult to imagine the comprehensive sound of a symphony orchestra produced by two violins, three accordions, and a tuba, playing Bach and Vivaldi!  That’s what we heard from the Russian musicians of “The Compatible,” under the tunnel running through the Rijks Museum. In contrast, but equally surprising, was this group of Icelanders playing salsa style music from the Caribbean in the stunning performing arts center in Reykjavik.
amsterdam vs iceland
Thank you for joining me on this journey and that you enjoyed my Amsterdam vs Iceland comparison.  This trip was truly a visual feast. What will my artistic brain and heart create as a result? I have no clue, though I know the images and interactions will incubate and manifest in some unexpected way.
Where have your travels taken you? How have they influenced your work? I would love to hear about your experiences and subsequent impact.
If you enjoyed this post, please feel free to share it.
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Filed Under: Art Travels & Preparations Tagged With: an artist's musings, Colorado artist

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